Put Mumbai attacks behind: NSA

SEEKING friendly ties with India, National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani on Tuesday said both countries need to remove the mistrust and put behind the Mumbai attacks to jointly fight terrorism.
"We want a nice friendly relationship with India so that we can both live in peace. This is not only good for the two countries, but good for the whole region," Durrani said.
"We are not making any demands, we are only suggesting that let's put this behind us and jointly fight this menace," he told a private TV channel.
"We are ready to crack down on everybody who is a terrorist. I think Pakistan is already doing a lot. We will do more and it is in the interest of Pakistan.
We will follow international norms and conduct," he said. Durrani also maintained that Pakistani forces 'hardly escalated'. "We have to remove the mistrust. That is the whole bottomline," he said.
Durrani did not rule out Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive during the Mumbai terror attacks, being a Pakistani national.
"Could be. I am not saying more than that because we don't have... I hate to say this we don't have proof," Durrani said.
Durrani, however, said that till now there is no evidence of involvement of Pakistani nationals in the November 26 carnage and that India should let the investigations into the attacks finish first.
Durrani said that Pakistani government was looking at the letter written by Kasab in which he requested consular access, and also wanted to meet the Pakistani High Commissioner in India.
He said Pakistan was looking at the letter from Kasab and trying to formulate its response. He also stressed that Pakistan was also a victim of terror just like India.

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 31-Dec-2008 here.